The hidden coves near Saint-Tropez

The Saint-Tropez everyone pictures is a harbour and a beach club. The one we love is twenty minutes further: small coves of white sand and polished rock, pines down to the water, a customs officers' path that leads to a sand isthmus between two seas. All of it sits on the peninsula and the coast just south of it, most of it protected, and almost all of it reachable with a car and a walk. These are the coves we use for photoshoots, with what each one looks like, how to get there and what to check before you go.

What are the most beautiful coves near Saint-Tropez?

Nine places cover almost everything: on the Saint-Tropez side, Les Canebiers and Les Salins; on Pampelonne's edges, Tahiti in the north and Bonne Terrasse in the south; then the wild coast of Ramatuelle, L'Escalet, the Cap Taillat isthmus and the Camarat headland; and on the La Croix-Valmer side, the Briande beach and the coves of Gigaro and Cap Lardier.

The coves, one by one

Plage des Canebiers

A sandy bay on the north side of the peninsula, minutes from the village, with a sailing club and a family atmosphere. The Tourism Office describes it as beautifully exposed to the setting sun over the Maures hills, which makes it the one cove on this list for an evening session. Dogs are not allowed on the beach.

Plage des Salins

Five hundred metres of sand and some of the clearest water on the peninsula, with a restaurant and lifeguards in season. The secret is to follow the coastal path to the left: a quieter cove opens up a few minutes on, rock and pine and almost nobody. Dried seagrass sometimes lines the shore; it is part of a healthy sea, and a good photographer simply frames around it.

Tahiti and Bonne Terrasse, the two ends of Pampelonne

The north end of Pampelonne, Tahiti, opens the 4.5 km of protected sand; the south end, Bonne Terrasse, is a small cove where fishermen once kept their boats, reached by stairs from the car park. Both are at their best at sunrise, when the beach is empty; our guide to a sunrise photoshoot at Pampelonne has the times and the parking rules.

L'Escalet

Around 350 metres of sand and fine shingle sheltered by pines, with a tiny fishing harbour, at the start of the wildest stretch of coast on the peninsula: from here to Camarat and to Taillat, the shore is a run of coves between polished rocks and golden sand. In 2025 the car park was free after 17:00 and during the first half-hour, then charged by the half-hour, with higher rates from June to August.

The Cap Taillat isthmus

The most spectacular place on this list: a strip of white sand linking the coast to the cape, with turquoise water on both sides. The Conservatoire du littoral bought the site in 1987; the early nineteenth-century customs house was restored in 2011, and an old watchtower at the tip looks from Camarat to Porquerolles. The walk from L'Escalet takes about 2h15 return on a rocky first stretch not advised with young children; from the end of avenue Cartaya, on the La Croix-Valmer side, it is about 1h30 return. Go early: it is the place everyone wants in August.

Plage de la Briande

About fifteen minutes beyond the isthmus, a large beach of fine sand that Port-Cros National Park also calls La Bastide Blanche, after the wine estate behind it. It can also be reached on foot from Gigaro through the Cap Lardier estate. Hiking shoes, water and a plan: there is nothing on the beach.

Gigaro and the coves of Cap Lardier

At La Croix-Valmer, Gigaro is a long family beach and the gateway to the Cap Lardier estate, part of Port-Cros National Park. From its end, a sea path zigzags past small rocky coves to Jovat beach, about twenty minutes on, and further to Brouis, reachable only on foot. Parking is charged in season, and a free shuttle runs from the village from June to September.

Cap Camarat

France's second-highest lighthouse, its light about 130 metres above the sea, with a coastal path down to L'Escalet that alternates steep descents and climbs. The lighthouse itself can be visited on booking only: in 2026 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from June to September, €8 for adults and €4 for children, then on Saturdays from October to December at €6 and €3. No climb for children under six.

What should you check before going to the coves?

• Fire risk in summer. From late June to 20 September, access to the Var's forested massifs is decided every day by the prefecture on a colour-coded map published the evening before. Paths through the pines, around Taillat, Camarat or Cap Lardier, can be closed on high-risk days. The shoreline path from Gigaro to Brouis stays open even when the massif is closed.
• Dogs. They are not allowed at Les Canebiers or Les Salins; on a lead at L'Escalet, Pampelonne and Taillat; and at Gigaro only from 22:00 to 7:00.
• Shoes and water. The coves beyond L'Escalet are reached on rocky paths, with no shop or shade on the way.
• The light. Early morning is the best time almost everywhere: empty sand, calm water, soft light. Les Canebiers is the exception, an evening cove.

Can you do a photoshoot in the coves?

Yes, and they are some of the most beautiful settings we work in. On the protected sites, the Conservatoire and the National Park ask visitors to stay on the paths and leave no trace; we work light, with no equipment set down and no props left behind. A one-hour session covers one cove; two hours let us combine L'Escalet and the Taillat isthmus. Our guide to the best photo spots in Saint-Tropez covers the village itself.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best hidden coves near Saint-Tropez?

The Cap Taillat isthmus, a strip of white sand between two seas, the coves between L'Escalet and Camarat, the quieter cove beyond the Plage des Salins, the Briande beach just past Taillat, and the small rocky coves along the sea path from Gigaro towards Cap Lardier.

How do you get to Cap Taillat?

On foot. From the car park at L'Escalet, in Ramatuelle, allow about 2h15 return on a rocky path; from the end of avenue Cartaya at La Croix-Valmer, about 1h30 return. In summer, check the prefecture's daily fire-risk map before going.

Which beach near Saint-Tropez is best for sunset?

The Plage des Canebiers, which the Saint-Tropez Tourism Office describes as beautifully exposed to the setting sun over the Maures. For sunrise, Pampelonne is the official choice.

Are the coastal paths near Saint-Tropez open in summer?

Usually, but access to the forested massifs of the Var is decided every day from late June to 20 September according to fire risk. On high-risk days paths through the pines can be closed. The shoreline path from Gigaro to Brouis stays open.

Can you have a photoshoot in a cove near Saint-Tropez?

Yes. With Riva, one hour covers one cove for 790 € all taxes included, and two hours let us combine two places, for example L'Escalet and the Cap Taillat isthmus, for 1,290 €.

More reading: a sunrise photoshoot at Pampelonne, the most beautiful places near Saint-Tropez, and the top 10 things to do in Saint-Tropez.